A Single Crimson Rose
by TheEndToItAll
Summary: A white rose is splattered with blood over time. An Arrancar love story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_**OMG! I'm so excited and so nervous at the exact same time! This is going to be my first story that's going to be rated M at the very beginning. It's also a romance with alot of detail (wink wink). Hope you like it. Pleeeease tell me if it's totally lame...I'm not very good at writing romances. -XOXO, Sakura-chan**_

The girl stood on the rafters as the battle below raged on. She felt for the girl on the sidelines. To have to watch as your loved one fought a losing battle...she felt cold tears roll down her face. _Oh well,_ she thought, trying to shake the depressing thoughts from her mind. _The boy will be dead soon. He doesn't stand a chance against Master Ulquiorra. _She was about to leave the fifth tower, when he called for her.

"Castiel, come down here."

Ulquiorra's voice was as cold as ice. She had no choice but to obey. She wiped the tears from her face and launched herself off the beam she was standing on. She landed with a muffled thud against the stone floor.

"Yes?" She asked impatiently, after a moment's silence.

"Dear sister, would you be so kind as to help me with this troubling matter?" He called her 'Dear Sister', yet his voice was far from sincere.

Castiel paused for a moment, before replying.

"I refuse." She turned to leave. She could have sworn she saw the boy eye the number etched into her side. The number eight. She fiddled with the charm hanging off the hilt of her sword as she prayed for the girl. "I will not dampen my soul with the blood of humans." She heard the girl's gasp before she felt it. The cold steel that had peirced her skin. She did not feel anything. She did not see anything. It was all grey.

"You continue to refuse my request?" Questioned Ulquiorra's staticy voice. She felt the slightest twinge of pain as the blade was pulled out. It all went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Flashback**

_Castiel tightened her grip on the back of Szayelapporo's shirt. He pushed strands of her hair out of the way as he kissed her passionately. Their tongues greeted each other. Castiel removed his glasses carefully as she kissed him back. She curled her fingers in his hair playfully as they slid to the floor. Szayelapporo kept one hand on her face as he searched carefully for the chains on her back that held her strapless white top together. _

The time it took for Castiel to fall to the floor of the fifth tower seemed like an eternity. Just as she did, Ulquiorra ripped the sword out of her body. The thunk of her body against the stone floor was gruesome. Blood flooded around her, staining her white uniform and matting her black hair. Orihime gasped.

"How could you do that to your own sister?" Ichigo pressed, scowling.

"What I do is none of your concern, Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra rebutted, drawing his sword. "Now the real battle begins."

After the battle had ended, Castiel found herself lying on her back in the fifth tower of Las Noches with the Quincy, the Soul Reaper, and the girl her brother kidnapped standing above her. She sat up quickly.

"I-I'm not dead?"

"Nope. Thanks to Orihime, you're alive and well." The soul reaper smiled. "But I can't say the same for your uniform."

"Thanks." Castiel thanked the girl. Orihime immediately blushed.

"I-It's no problem." She smiled awkwardly. Castiel stood up and walked over to the zanpakuto that lay on the ground where Ulquiorra had died. She picked it up, staring at it for a second. The others rested their hands on their weapons, ready to defend themselves.

"What, can't I have my brother's sword?" Castiel smiled defensively. Her new life was about to begin.


	3. Chapter 3: Epilogue Part 1

Castiel tipped the glass bottle to her lips and choked down the sickly sweet liquid. After chugging the rest of the bottle, she handed it back to Captain Unohana and hopped off the check-up bed.

"Done already?"

"Yeah. That stuff is gross, though."

"Well, since you're a former arrancar, liquefied reishi is necessary to keep you healthy."

"Whatever." And with that, Castiel trotted out of the Squad 4 barracks and towards Squad 3. She tried to stay as far away as possible from Squad 12. Mayuri had asked her countless times to become his research subject. She joined Squad 3 instead when she became a soul reaper. She became their new third seat. She often received visits from Orihime and Ichigo. Ulquiorra's sword sat on its holder in Castiel's room, doing nothing but collecting dust. And she never stopped hoping that someday, Szayelapporo would come back to her.

This was her new life.

**A/N: **_**Sooooo! This was part one of the epilogue. It didn't take very long to write. I wrote this and part two last night because I couldn't sleep. Apparently I write better when I can't sleep. Anyway, see you again in part 2!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Epilouge Part 2

One day, and unseated Squad 3 member ran into Castiel's office.

"Third-Seat Schiffer! Pardon the intrusion, but there's some people here to see you!"

"Me?"

Castiel hurried out to the front of the barracks. Ichigo and Orihime were standing at the gates.

"Oh, hey guys!"

"Castiel! We brought you something!" Orihime exclaimed. Ichigo held out a katana with and oddly shaped guard. It was Szayelapporo's zanpakuto.

"Renji found it."

Castiel took the sword in her hands and began to cry. Szayelapporo had finally come back to her.

**A/N: **_**Thanks for all your support! Thanks to **_**The Fox Knight **_**for being the first to favourite this story, and thanks to **_**xXRukiaHitsugayaXx **_**for being so frickin' awesome! I'm sad this story had to end, but it simply had to. Anyway, see you later!**_

_**-Sakura-chan**_


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